'Argo,' starring Ben Affleck (left) and Bryan Cranston, is based on real events that played out during the 1979 U.S.-Iran hostage crisis.

(Photo by Warner Bros.)

I've never taken an education class but I've endured my share of lectures over the years, and it seems to me that the secret to teaching history effectively is right there in the word itself: "story." You can either stand behind a podium and lecture -- and hope that you're not drowned out by all the snoring -- or you can weave a real-life, multi-dimensional story and actually connect with people.

In "Argo," actor-turned-crackerjack-director Ben Affleck illustrates the value of the latter method, mining recent American history for a truly astonishing story and shaping it into a riveting, rocketing history lesson that doesn't play at all like a history lesson.

That's not to say Affleck's film is exactly a ripped-from-the-headlines story, however. Rather, it's ripped from U.S. government documents declassified in 1997. So chances are the details of this particular story will be new even to those who remember the hostage crisis and the way it consumed the American consciousness for the 444 days during which 52 Americans were held prisoner in the U.S. embassy at the outset of the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

Chambers is played mostly for comic relief by John Goodman, who is part of an impressive cast highlighted by a scene-stealing Alan Arkin, playing the fake film's director. Perhaps the key element that makes it all click, however, is screenwriter Chris Terrio's script, which not only keeps things moving along at a nice clip but does an extraordinary job of finding the humor in an absurd -- but deadly serious -- situation, all without cheapening it.

If there's a misstep, it's in Terrio and Affleck's decision to leave out any shred of modern relevance, despite the fact that the ongoing turmoil in the region hovers over "Argo" like a ghost. As a result, their enormously entertaining film tells one hell of a story - but not a necessarily poignant or powerful one.

Still, "Argo" is a hard movie to knock. It emerged from the Toronto International Film Festival last month as an instant Oscar contender in multiple categories (best director, best screenplay and best film, for starters). Given how well-made it is -- and how embraceable it is -- it's likely to remain one straight through to the red carpet.

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ARGO4 stars, out of 5

Snapshot: A historical thriller, based loosely on real events, about a CIA agent who poses as a Hollywood producer - pretending to be scouting locations for an upcoming film - in order to smuggle six American diplomats out of Iran at the height of the 1979 hostage crisis.

What works: Not only does it boast a strong cast and brisk direction, but Chris Terrio's script brilliantly generates tension-relieving humor without cheapening the deadly serious events on which the story was based.

What doesn't: The film misses an opportunity to introduce even a shred modern relevance, despite the fact that the ongoing tensions in the region hover over it like a ghost